Mail receiving machines are designed to increase the processing time of inspecting, opening, and sorting incoming mail and parcels. Using mail receiving equipment technology, businesses have the ability to electronically scan and read mail as an automated solution.

Types of Mail Receiving Equipment

Letter Openers

Letter openers facilitate opening envelopes of many different sizes by cutting along the length of the envelope with a blade. Basic letter openers open envelopes up to 1/8" thick, while higher-end models open envelopes up to 1/4" thick. Some letter openers are capable of opening up to 3 sides of an envelope for easy content access. Letter openers are available as manual devices to serve the low volume needs of small offices or as high capacity electric models that can open up to 40,000 envelopes per hour without any pre-sorting required. More automated letter openers feature a digital counter that counts the number of envelopes that have been opened.

Mail Scanners

Mail scanners are designed specifically for viewing inside sealed documents and parcels singularly or in groups. Parcels to be scanned are placed in a screening chamber, where their contents are then projected onto either a color or black and white monitor for viewing. Mail scanners can view parcels as big as 21.5" (l) x 16.5" (w) x 17" (h). Mail scanners are applicable in any environment where unrestricted (not previously scanned or closely inspected) parcels and boxes constitute a large portion of received mail or when the entity receiving the parcels needs an extra measure of protection.

Defining the right equipment solution for a specific mail-handling environment is a straightforward process. The components of choice are the number of items processed, the need to process mail in a timely fashion, and security.

The number of items processed each day would by default determine the capacity and/or speed requirements of a given document opener. For example, if 500 items were received each day but were time sensitive, the equipment solution should be constructed for speed rather than capacity. The inverse would be true where the item count was 2,000 pieces daily and could be processed as ordinary mail. In this case, the emphasis would be on capacity.

Security is just as important as capacity and speed in any mail receiving solution. This is especially true in environments where large parcels or boxes are a significant percentage of daily volume or when any document, parcel, or box represents a possible threat. In environments of this type, the equipment solution should include scanning equipment.

• How heavy is the incoming mail volume?

When looking to purchase a letter opener, it is important to decipher the amount of mail that is received on a daily basis. For lower volume, a manual or more basic electric model would be more appropriate. For heavier volume, a high-end, speedy electric model is more suitable.

• How strict are your security precautions?

For companies and organizations that may be at greater risk of hate mail and/or bomb components, a mail scanner is a wise investment. Better models have higher-definition color monitors and larger inspection chambers for precision screening of larger items.